Weightlifters Ravi, Renu Bala bag gold, set CWG records

Ravi Kumar Katulu of Orissa and Manipur's Renu Bala Chanu Yumnam win two gold medals and set new Commonwealth Games records.

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Ravi Kumar Diwaker

New Delhi

October 7, 2010

UPDATED: October 7, 2010 15:52 IST

Indians had a field day at weightlifting on Wednesday. Ravi Kumar Katulu of Orissa and Manipur's Renu Bala Chanu Yumnam won two gold medals, that too by setting new Commonwealth Games records. Ravi lifted a total of 321kg in snatch and clean and jerk to bag the top honours for the hosts. The 22-year-old began his campaign by lifting 138kg in snatch. He outdid Pakistan's Irfan Muhammad's mark of 140kg by lifting 142kg in his second attempt. However, that was not enough to satisfy the Indian and he lifted 146kg to set a new Games record in his third try in snatch at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The clean and jerk round began with the local favourite lifting 167kg.

He faltered in his second attempt at 175kg, but by then he had a healthy lead for himself. In his final efforts to lift 175kg, Ravi closed his eyes and put in one final effort prompting everyone to break into celebration. Sri Lankan Chinthana Geetal Vidanage won the silver with 308kg (snatch134kg and 174kg clean and jerk) while Malaysian Mohammad Hafifi Mansor claimed the bronze with 306kg (snatch137kg and 169kg clean and jerk). "I am thankful to the home crowd which motivated me to win the gold for my country," Ravi said. "Last night, I was under pressure, but my mother asked me to just give it my best shot.

"After I lifted 146kg in my last attempt in snatch, the pressure completely went up in smoke. It is really a great feeling for me that I could win medal for my country," said Ravi. Earlier, there was a huge round of applause after each lift for Renu Bala. She not only broke her own Commonwealth Games record of 88kg by lifting 90kg in the snatch round but also outshone Australian Lee Seen in the 58kg competition. Renu lifted 84kg without any difficulty in her first snatch attempt, followed by 88kg. The third attempt was slightly difficult for her but the Games record could not elude her. Renu totalled 197kg (90 in snatch and 107kg in clean and jerk) to add another gold to India's kitty. Renu's first attempt in clean and jerk was a comfortable 104kg.

She followed with 107kg to make the gold safe. However, she faltered in her attempt to lift 113kg. Later, Renu said she would like to do better in future events. "It was my best performance. I was aiming for gold and it is a great moment for me. "After lifting 90kg in snatch, I got confidence to go for more weight," she said. "Our next aim would be to win a medal in Olympics." Coach Harnam Singh said everyone should forget what happened in weightlifting in the past.

"I request you to forget history and just see what we do in future. Renu did her best and she made all of us proud here. We expect more medals in upcoming events here," he said. Lee lifted 192kg (86kg snatch and 106kg clean and jerk) to bag the silver. "The competition was really tough here."

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